Elizabeth Warren: Could She Run? Could She Win?

Senator Elizabeth Warren seems to have exploded out of nowhere, much like another young senator did in 2008. Warren was a Harvard Law School professor who specialized in bankruptcy law. She wrote two books about the effect of debt and the changing economy on middle class Americans. Her knowledge on the topic of how the middle class is shrinking in America put her in the mix of the post-2008 economic crash debate.

Warren has been seen as a champion of middle class values and opportunity. But she is also seen as something of a rarity in American politics nowadays: a Democrat who is actually liberal. Warren will tell you flat-out that she is a Progressive. She doesn’t mince words and try to be all things to everyone like President Obama.

Recently, Warren outlined what has come to be known as the “11 Commandments of Progressivism”. If Elizabeth Warren had the beginnings of a presidential election campaign message, this would be it. “What does it mean to be a progressive?”, Warren asked.

– “We believe in science, and that means that we have a responsibility to protect this Earth.”

– “We believe that the Internet shouldn’t be rigged to benefit big corporations, and that means real net neutrality.”

– “We believe that no one should work full-time and still live in poverty, and that means raising the minimum wage.”

– “We believe that fast-food workers deserve a livable wage, and that means that when they take to the picket line, we are proud to fight alongside them.”

– “We believe that students are entitled to get an education without being crushed by debt.”

– “We believe that after a lifetime of work, people are entitled to retire with dignity, and that means protecting Social Security, Medicare, and pensions.”

– “We believe—I can’t believe I have to say this in 2014—we believe in equal pay for equal work.”

– “We believe that equal means equal, and that’s true in marriage, it’s true in the workplace, it’s true in all of America.”

– “We believe that immigration has made this country strong and vibrant, and that means reform.”

– “And we believe that corporations are not people, that women have a right to their bodies. We will overturn Hobby Lobby and we will fight for it. We will fight for it!”

Warren drew a sharp contrast between these Progressive values and what she sees as the message that the current incarnation of American conservatism sends: “I got mine. The rest of you are on your own.”

These “11 Commandments” are in line with Warren’s message back on the senate campaign trail. In a now-famous recording of her speaking in someone’s home about her views on the interconnectedness of all persons and opportunities in modern-day America. Warren’s message then and now was simple: Nobody makes it on their own. We can’t take our fans and give nothing back to society.

“There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own,” she said. “Nobody. You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear: You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for. You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate. You were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for.”

These kinds of statements are not what passes for centrism in American politics nowadays. The common definition of the American political spectrum is that the left has moved to the middle, the right has moved far right, and true progressives are castigated as Socialists.

Well, Warren is having none of it. And her message is taking root in a post-crash world where homes were lost and retirement accounts evaporated. Ironically, the very factors that launched a successful Warren senate campaign were behind the formation of the Tea Party. They just ended up taking to two different roads.

Now Warren’s popularity among Democrats is so strong that some wonder if she might prove to be a challenge for Hillary herself. Most recognize that Hillary brings a war chest and background to the primary season that will likely wipe any challenger from the field. But hopeful dreams of some true Liberals are for a Clinton/Warren ticket in 2016.

“Let’s put it this way,” said one Warren fan. “I want to see [Clinton] run for president because I know she would win. Who would I really want to see run for president? Elizabeth Warren.”

Another voter, a labor union rep from Los Angeles put it this way.

“Is [Clinton] the strongest possible candidate for the Democrats? Yes,. But Warren captures the concerns of a lot of people in this country with economic security.”

Perhaps a Clinton presidency with Warren at Treasury? Time will tell.

Elizabeth Warren may end up being the liberal presidential candidate that does not happen in 2016, but the one that liberals really want. The question then becomes: What role would she have in a Clinton administration?

If Warren were a Republican, her career would already be over. She’d have had been long declared crazy, stupid, radical or some other label suitable which the unbiased left wing mainstream bleeding hearted liberal media chose to ruin her.

But she’s a Democrat, and so all she needs is to get the unbiased left wing mainstream bleeding hearted liberal media behind her in some way, not threaten Slick Hillary’s chances in any way, and finally do the bleeding hearted liberal left wing politically correct tour…counting on the unbiased left wing media to censure any and every mistake that comes out of her mouth.

Rob McKellip

You mean like the Republicans as crazy, stupid, radical bought by a corporation whores that they actually are right?

A lot of us can throw out labels just like you did or I just did and NOTHING WORTHWHILE GETS DONE. How about we simply debate our points with decorum, facts, and belief structures and let people decide rationally what side is right and vote on it. That’s what America is last I checked, right? The current choices both parties are making will not help us at all. You have a right to disagree with anyone…but many of us are getting tired of the rhetoric, slander, and name calling that our political process has devolved into. Let’s make our argument, listen to the other arguments, and make judgements at that point. Name calling is what children do…not what adults should be doing.

joel

Name calling is key to the Left. Read Saul Alinsky. We’re not stupid out here!

Don Pavelka

Name calling is not limited to the left OR the right.

Literati

The real key is buying into the smoke and mirror production that has so many people convinced that any of them are actually on your side. The founding fathers are spinning in their graves, watching these people collectively opt to control your money as you might foolishly spend it on what you want. It is almost an insult that municipalities have to rely on state funding, and feds also decide what to give back, when they probably should not have taken it in the first place. Originally, the state delegates to the constitutional convention, believed that a federal government was only for 4 purposes. 1) our common defense,2) a national bank and currency 3) to oversee trade and treaties ad 4) to mediate interstate issues.
Do think they may have overstepped their mandate a bit? Has all the elaboration on the original 4 page constitution been a good thing? In a normal world, does it not seem logical that the lions share of taxes should go for local benefit, then state , then federal? Any housewife can budget better, get more bang for the buck, and understand that deficite spending must have limits. Liz would be great, but the system won’t ever let us get the upper hand

KC614

Yes it’s key to today’s left wing idiots.

“Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.”

“…you do what you can with what you have and clothe it with moral arguments.”

– Saul Alinsky, Rules for Radicals

John D. Fiat

Wake up to the Left-Right paradigm, man! Obama is so owned by Wall Street, it’s not even funny. Plus, Clinton is the one who allowed the greedy bankers (Larry Summers) to abolish the Glass-Steagall Act (banking act of 1933) which led to them making trillions on the way up, knowing that the crash (derivatives etc.) would come down on the (innocent) middle-class, making many of them bankrupt.
Allowing these (already very wealthy) bankers to operate with no firewall (Glass-Steagall) between the commercial and investment sectors of banking caused the crash (which unfairly got blamed on Bush). And not only did Clinton start the whole thing, he even ignored the warnings from Brooksley Borne, his own CFTC head. There is no difference between the two ruling parties (Dem & GOP). They are one in the same. Obama is even 12th cousins with George H.W. Bush and 13th cousins with W. Bush. He is also 11th cousins with Dick Cheney. He didn’t win the presidency by accident. FDR even said, “Presidents are not elected, they’re selected.” Wake up!

pound puppy

Actually, I think you’ll see Obama endorse Warren because Hillary isn’t liberal enough for his taste. He’s already fired a shot across Hillary’s bow when he wondered out loud why she or Joe Biden would want to endure the “degrading” run for the White House in 2016. And his DOJ is investigating another possible candidate, NY governor Andrew Cuomo, possibly looking for ammunition so Warren can take him out of the primary race early.

joel

Oh goody, just what we need. Another Obama………

John D. Fiat

Progressive? More like a far left-wing nut job! I mean, this stuff is left-er than Lenin! You didn’t build your company on your own because “our” roads allowed you to? (and when she says our she means the state). How does she know that those people didn’t pay their taxes too? How do we know that she paid her fair share? What she is really saying here is that if you have a successful business that’s not dependent of government, you’re a tax cheat. Someone just running on wild accusations and assumptions, is that the best the Dems can do? I

brian

she’s a liar, a fraud, an elitist, way under qualified, self absorbed, arrogant and other than a textbook, completely ignorant …. she has all the qualifications of a candidate these days

Slojoe

She could win and has a better grip on the situation than Hilary

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

If she runs it would give us a choice, another Clinton or Bush will never do.

Terry Dilmore

I think its time for a “Native American” in office. Is there one?

Literati

If they did some DNA testing, I bet there are more than you think.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaad

She is 1/100 some tribe I think.

Literati

Me too- I wonder why my ancestors weren’t prouder of their native heritage here where we have monuments to where they killed settlers all over the area.
I guess it wasn’t a popular thing to divulge in those times. And allusions or records to that heritage seem to have been conveniently omitted.

kay jayne

not yet, too soon

Steve

I would like to see her do another 8 in congress working to straighten out their flawed thinking and pushing for consumer rights first, THEN we can put her in the Oval Office for 8 years.

Peter the great

Will she be building things for us, if she’s elected ? Not sure if she “build” her campaign to run….Or did we “build” it….I’m so confused. Well back to finish my accounting for my business or the Warren government will want a good “chunk of it”.

MyDenney .

Good Grief! She is to left of Karl Marx.

Professor IMFIGMO

Ha, ha, ha! She’s the Republicans’ best friend. Like shooting fish in a barrel.

dadshot

Just what we nee, another incompetent zealot. She should realize the problem is not big corporations, its big government. But she has no experience so what would you expect. Of course the message resonates with all who like the victim perception. It’s easy to sell freebies, more difficult to deal with reality.

crashdavisii

we’re already in enough trouble…..eight years of warren will doom the USA

Literati

Cuz we’re doing so well now-right? Even still- we are doing better than when Bush left- sad isn’t it? Just keep it is a presidents fault when a bozo laden congress accomplishes flat nothing.

Daniel L. Wright

This woman is a proven liar, but thats what liberals like about her. The liberals lie,deceive, and distort. Warren is one of the best in this ability. A perfect candidate for the Democrats.

Literati

Hillary is more likely a perfect candidate for the Democrats. Elizabeth is more of a candidate for the people. She wants to protect Social security, Medicare and the middle class from from the monied interests who bankroll this charade of a government “of, by and for” the people , by devoting their assets to making sure that when the tab comes for paying for lousy bang for the buck spending, pork coming their way, and a military industrial complex who thinks it can impact people strapping bombs to themselves with new ships and planes. The sheer stupidity of a government, whose constitutions was originally written on 4 pages, having a tax code that uses 2700 pages, typifys much of where we have gone far astray in order to make special provisions to defeat equality

Jackie Griffith

Squatting Dog = Killary’s twisted sister !!

blackhat

Elizabeth is a good choice but quite fearful of scrutiny. The belief in her commandments are nothing more than hot points on the news calendar. Wall Street has robbed America and the world blindly, retribution is in order not new rules to continue on. 1000’s of individuals do not belong in college, including many athletes. Retrier? 40 years is long enough to work, and the first step is to get rid of the 20 year state fed retirement plans. Automobiles are science, spend all the funds on alternative energy, Massive solar PLANTS, and hydrogen reaction. GOD the original scientist made male and female, follow the rule. A moratorium of 5 years on immigration is in order, those who have spoken against immigration have NEVER been given an opportunity to prove their argument. Finally whats needed is courts out, states rights up held and majority rule. Ever hear of that? It’s a Republic!

AMan

To think Warren is ready to be President is absolutely ridiculous. A career academician with one term on the hill…What does she know how to do except lecture? Please, she would be less prepared than Obama was…no more “Hope and Change” tickets please. Lets get something done that does not make us look more like the socialist countries struggling in Europe!

Frizz

Wow! She could be the first “Indigenous American” president! Maybe she could use her pen and phone to get that Washington “NFL” team to get their minds right! She probably is to the left of Hillary and would be able to “take America as found” OUT!

Sasha S.

I fully support Elizabeth Warren for all that she stands for. As much as I dislike for a republican to win the election, I would not vote for Hilary Clinton because of 4 reasons: 1) her foreign policies are in line with Republicans; 3) She is very hawkish when it comes to foreign policy. 3) She doesn’t care about the middle class and would vote to empower the rich even more. 4) My most important reason for not voting for Hilary Clinton for president is the congress and the senate. If a republican becomes president, democrats in the Senate and the House of representatives would oppose him or her if he/she decided to start a new war or cut social security or stop Obama care. If Clinton is in the office, the democrats will stay quiet and let her get away with her center right ideology. Just think for a moment, would a Republican president have been able to get away with Obama’s expansion of NSA or Obama’s policies on immigration which resulted in deportation of many more people that during Bush’s administration. I am a liberal and proud of it. My choice for president is Elizabeth Warren and to a lesser extent Joe Biden. Never Hilary Clinton.

KC614

She’s basically a Marxist. I don’t see it. Not all of America is as batshit loony as Mass.